T Minus Fourteen Hours

Odometer reading 114,444.4 and counting. It took all day to pack the car. I may have too much stuff. I'm picturing myself jettisoning ballast as I realize that a lot of it is just in the way. Some more goodbyes tomorrow morning and by early PM I should be on the road at last. This is going to be good.

Countdown to launch: T minus 36 hours.

I hauled the last loads of non-mobile possessions to storage today so tomorrow I can start packing the vehicle. On my way home from the storage unit I saw this auspicious rainbow.

I have been telling people that the trip is unstructured but they seem to want to know at least where I am heading first. I've been saying that I will probably go to Death Valley because it is the first National Park that might be a little warmer than here. But today I was thinking I would like to cruise the coastline en route so I booked a hostel in Monterey and mapped the coast route. That seems like a good start.

Mug shot

William Butler Yeats:
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal . . .

I studied that poem, source of so many book titles, in college. Over the years it evolved into my personal version which reads:
"Tortured by impossible desires and trapped in a dying animal."

I spent a lot of time getting my remote flash setup working and in the process took a lot of photos of myself. Now you can see what has become of me. Can you see the miles? More to go before I sleep. Can you see the fear and the posture of disdain that covers it up?

Estimated launch: Sunday February 3, 2008.

What I Will Tell People I Am Up To

The official reason for my trip (and my being) is to take photos of wild things. Here is a sample from my recent trial run to Gray Lodge wildlife refuge.

I developed a crude method of getting the shot by driving up and down the road with camera ready. When I would stop near a hawk it would fly away and maybe I would get the shot. I took their leaving personally. I don't like disturbing them so I need lots of money to buy long glass (supertelephoto lens.)

The unofficial and personal reason for my upcoming trip is to spend some time with me on the premise that self is the gateway to this and everything, now and forever.